The Verdict*

*With apologies to John Grisham

Back to the courthouse this morning to begin the trial. I listened to the Sotomayer hearings on the way and hated to get out of the car just as things were getting good. But duty called. The panel listened to the evidence ~ mighty skimpy ~, broke for lunch ~ I ate in the car and listened to the hearings ~ and reported back at 1:30. The judge gave us instructions, the attorney's summed up, and we went to deliberations at 3 PM. At 4 PM we delivered our verdict: guilty on both charges. As for the facts, it was a penny ante meth possession charge that, had the defense attorney given us a shred of evidence to refute the DA's charge we probably would have acquitted. But that's not how it turned out. I can only hope that the hapless defendant is on his way to rehab and not durance vile.